


The Moon's Pull

by demoniccattus



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Pining, very very mushy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21851197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demoniccattus/pseuds/demoniccattus
Summary: Just as the moon pushes the ocean's tides in an out, so too does Ranmaru feel Ai's magnetism....also known as, five times Ranmaru and Ai almost kissed, and one time they did!
Relationships: Kurosaki Ranmaru/Mikaze Ai
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	The Moon's Pull

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, HUGE thank you to my sister [foldyourclothes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldyourclothes/works) and my best friend [wayfared](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayfared/works) for critiquing me and helping me edit. You guys are amazing writers and I feel very lucky to get your advice <3 This was an awesome learning experience, and I feel like you can see the difference from the first vignette to the last one how much I grew :) I'm still not much of a writer, but this was super fun and I'm very excited with how long it ended up. I'm also happy to contribute more to the Ran/Ai tag, lol. I hope you enjoy it! ^w^  
> Oh, and there's a small reference to my last fic ;)

✾1✾

The first time he thinks of it, it's at the marine festival. It's the prime of summer, and Quartet Night is taking part in Shining's water gun fight. Ranmaru's competitive streak was flaring; he gripped his water pistol with a mischievous grin on his face as he tracked his prey's movements from where he was huddled behind a wall. The red team was quickly advancing on the blue team's territory, with both Syo and Otoya being great shots. 

Just a couple more steps around the corner… and NOW! Ranmaru jumped out from his hiding spot with a "HAH!!", laying on the trigger for a lethal blast of water. His target let out a surprised (yet familiar) yelp.

"Shit! Ai! I didn't know it was you…!" Ranmaru stammered out. Ai had been given a special team color, black, so that others wouldn't spray him and unintentionally drain his battery. 

Ai stood arms stiff at his sides with their little water guns, and glowered at Ranmaru, his mouth a distinctive firm line. Ranmaru grimaced at his handiwork. His top half was pretty soaked through; water dripped off his face, and his sailor suit clung to his smaller frame. He looked quite pitiful, Ranmaru thought. _I bet the fans would love to see him like this, all wet and pouting._

"Honestly, Ranmaru. Was that really necessary?" Ai said condescendingly. He fruitlessly tried to fix his bangs. “If this happens again I’ll have to sit out for the rest of the tournament.” His voice jittered from his system beginning to overwork.

Ranmaru shook his head. "Uhh, my bad. I'll be more careful." But instead of leaving, he was stuck staring at Ai. He was honestly just as cute as a little wet cat. His eyes drifted down his face, floating over his aqua bangs, brilliant eyes, flushed cheeks, and landing on... _Er, what?_

Straightening, Ranmaru waved awkwardly and stalked in a random direction. Ai’s eyes followed him, prickling the back of his neck.

_Why did I just think about kissing Ai?_

✾2✾

Doing a song or two for a daytime TV appearance wasn’t something they normally did, but it was hard to predict what was next for Quartet Night sometimes. After an interview on the sunny outdoor set, they prepared for performing their new single, changing outfits and fixing their in-ear monitors. 

Glancing up to the sky absentmindedly, Ranmaru's eyes came into focus on dark clouds making an unnerving approach. Frowning, he glanced over at Ai, who was pulling on sparkly gloves with a fixed expression. He wasn't exactly sure about his water tolerance, but ever since the Marine Festival, Ranmaru had been paying more attention to it. It seemed like dancing and singing in addition to rain spelled bad news.

Ranmaru opened his mouth to bring it up, but Reiji cut him off. 

“All right, positions everyone!” Reiji called jovially. 

Ranmaru's eyes flicked back to Ai as he moved to his position, searching his face for any unease. There it was: a little quirk playing at the edge of his mouth. He couldn't help but feel a pang of worry, but quickly brushed it off. _Ai can handle it, right?_

The track started and Quartet Night sprung into action. Almost immediately, it began to sprinkle. _It's really not enough to cancel the performance, especially since we're live_ , Ranmaru thought. However, the longer they sang, the more rain started coming down. They were partially covered with an overhang, but the wind pelted them with droplets. 

Ranmaru looked over at Ai a little more than the choreography prescribed, and the android looked intensely focused on what he was doing. Ranmaru could see the water dripping onto his face, his nose, and off of his hair. If you didn't know better, Ai would probably just look like he was really into it. Ranmaru turned back to face the front for the choreography. He was going to be pretty pissed if they got in trouble for this, but he also felt slightly guilty for not speaking up.

When they finally ended their third song, they rushed thank-yous and hustled into the studio building. Camus and Reiji were seemingly also aware of the risk of Ai collapsing on live TV.

As soon as they were all inside the hallway, Ai put a hand to his head and wobbled as he struggled to stay upright. 

"AiAi ohmygosh I'm _so sorry_!!! I didn’t see the rain coming until it was too late to postpone, I--oh, AiAi!" Reiji blustered, frantically trying to pat the water off Ai's costume.

"No, we needed to do it. It would only be more suspicious if we canceled over the rain," Ai said wearily. He barely had the energy to stand.

Camus spoke up, "What can we do?" He didn't look that concerned, but he was trying.

Ai turned towards the dressing room. “I just need to recharge…” He trailed off as his system shut down. He took one step and nearly crashed to the ground, but Ranmaru swooped in to catch him by his shoulders.

“Woah, you okay?!”

Ai slowly came back to, a light whir coming from somewhere. His hands found purchase on Ranmaru’s chest to keep himself upright, and Ranmaru blushed when he realized how close they were. He’d shifted his hands to Ai’s waist without noticing, and could feel the warmth coming off the android. _He’s way too hot, must have overheated._

Ai managed to push himself away from Ranmaru’s chest to look up at him, his eyes unfocused and dim from the restart. Ranmaru’s breath caught as he glanced down to his lips, tantalizingly close, and his heart rate jumped. After a beat, Ai gave his head a little shake and mumbled “Thanks…”

Ranmaru forced himself to look away and took Ai by the shoulders again to hold him at arm’s length. 

“Come on,” He grumbled, leading him to the dressing room. He half-heartedly put a hand on Ai’s back (just in case...), and cast a glance over his shoulder. 

Reiji had an eyebrow raised with a smile. “Guess I’ll leave it to you, RanRan.” 

Camus simply squinted at him. Hunching his shoulders, Ranmaru turned his head back. _Why does Ai get me so worked up?!_

  
✾3✾

Ai stepped into the apartment entryway, lightly shaking his umbrella and pushing out of his shoes. It’s late; he was out at a shoot in Kyoto, and the commute back tended to be more than an hour. Ai ran through the mini to-do list in his head--tuck away his bags, take a shower, go to bed. No need to eat since he grabbed a bento on the way home.

The room was unexpectedly lit--normally none of the members were up this late in the living room--and Ai was surprised to spot Ranmaru’s sleeping figure on the couch. However, he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised given Ranmaru’s somewhat chaotic nature. The probability of him falling asleep with the TV on was decent.

Ai walked into the open floor plan apartment and set his bags down just behind the kitchen bar to the left. He stretched his arms in the air before making his way to the living area. Clearly Ranmaru wouldn’t need the TV anymore, so Ai switched it off and turned to look at Ranmaru. He was laying horizontal on the couch, turned on his back with his legs splayed, almost falling off. Ai couldn’t help but smile a little and shake his head.

Suddenly, a memory came to Ai--the date said it was only last week, but it was fuzzy for some reason. Ai had been very close to someone...he had raised his head and--ah, it was Ranmaru. Ranmaru had caught him after nearly falling during an emergency reboot. Ai remembered his odd expression, and how his temperature seemed high. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but he had never been quite so close to Ranmaru before… and the thought made his heartbeat quicken mysteriously. _I wonder if I could replicate these conditions to find out more…_ Ai thought, tilting his head at the sleeping Ranmaru before him. 

Ai stepped quietly towards Ranmaru. It’s not like he was known to be a light sleeper, but Ai was careful nonetheless. He lay with one arm on his chest and the other dangling off the couch, one side of his spikes flattened, and his face totally relaxed. Ai filed that one away in his photo-memory bank as proof Ranmaru could even _have_ such an expression, and rolled his eyes. He leaned over Ranmaru’s face, noticing how pretty his eyelashes were, and heat rose in his face. Ai realized he quite liked bassist’s features, and felt like he was truly seeing them for the first time. Ever so slowly, Ai inched closer and closer, until he could feel Ranmaru’s slow breaths on his face. His eyes flicked back and forth across his face, unsure what to do next, before locking onto the soft pink of Ranmaru’s lips. _Maybe if I…?_

 _Click!_ Ai whips up as the front door to the apartment opens to reveal a disgruntled Camus, holding a plastic bag of what looked to be multiple mini ice cream cartons. Ai fights to put on a neutral expression but his eye twitches. _I must not have noticed Camus’ shoes missing_ , he thinks, and his eyes dart to the footwell where they’re sitting, just like normal. Camus went out in his slippers. 

“What are you doing?” Camus deadpans, standing still in the doorway.

“It’s a little late to go out for ice cream, isn’t it?” Ai counters.

Camus just huffs and stalks to the refrigerator. 

He couldn’t just wait around for Camus to leave to continue his investigation, so Ai takes the blanket neatly folded atop the couch (placed there by himself) and opens it to lay over Ranmaru. He stirs in his slumber, bringing his arm over his head. _At least he was already in his pajamas_ , Ai thinks, quirking his mouth to the side in an unsatisfied expression. _I’m going to need more data._

✾4✾

Now that the weather was making its way towards fall, Ranmaru suggested to the gang taking one last trip to the lake before it got too cold. Unfortunately, Reiji had come down with a cold, and Camus didn’t like associating himself with lake scum. This left Ai, who volunteered his underclassmen to come along as well, as Syo and Natsuki were the rambunctious type. 

Ranmaru grabbed the duffle bag at the doorway, slinging it over his shoulder, and went down to the elevator and to the street where Ai and the underclassmen would be waiting to pick him up. Ranmaru was not expecting Otoya and Tokiya to be standing out front of the van as well, Otoya talking excitedly.

“Good thing you got a bigger van!” Ranmaru called out, surprised but not necessarily upset. Otoya always had a good energy about him, anyway.

Natsuki opened the trunk and turned to the approaching Ranmaru with a grin. “Yes! I figured the more the merrier! I hope you don’t mind, Maru-chan-senpai.”

Wincing slightly at the garish nickname, Ranmaru gave a dismissive hand wave and tucked his bags into the back with the rest. He looked over what everyone else had brought: other bags for clothing changes, a couple of folding chairs, towels, and even a beach ball. He smiled, satisfied with the haul. Who doesn’t love a good outing with the guys!

Ai took the wheel, and Ranmaru automatically got shotgun because it’s his right. The drive was relatively uneventful as the setting sun turned the sky a beautiful lavender. Thinking of him, Ranmaru risked a glance over to Ai only to have his heart squeeze at the beautiful orange glow bathing him, the shadows resting just so on his delicate features. He ogled until he spotted Ai’s eyes slide his way, and quickly looked back out the window, arm rested on the door. _I’ve got it bad. Worse than I thought._

_\--_

The sun had set shortly after their arrival, warmth still hanging in the air and the last cicadas buzzing. They made quick work of their little barbeque setup and changed out of their clothes to go swimming. 

“Guys, this is probably the last time the water will be warm enough… wanna go skinny dipping?” Ranmaru said with a grin, him and the boys ankle deep in the lake.

“Yeah!” Otoya and Syo chorused.

Tokiya paled. “Is that even sanitary?”

“Sure! And it’s dark enough, so no need to be embarrassed or nothin’.” Ranmaru tossed his arms behind his head in a nonchalant manner. 

“I think I’ll just stay on the shore, on second thought,” Tokiya said.

“Suit yourself!” Syo teased, him and the others rushing back to the sparse forest to hop out of their trunks; moments later bursting out, shrieking as they splashed into the lake like a pack of dogs. Tokiya buried his nose in his book with a furtive glance.

Ai padded out of the forest towards the lake shore, pausing near Tokiya. "What was all that noise?"

"They're going skinny dipping." Tokiya monotoned, eyes safely secured on the page.

Ai squinted out at the lake but all of them were in the water up to their shoulders, and it was getting darker by the minute. "I'll be on the dock if you need me."

"All right."

\-- 

Full night had fallen, and Ranmaru found himself drifting away from the underclassmen's chatter. He spotted Ai at the end of the low pier and decided to have a little fun.

Ranmaru sunk low in the water, carefully skirting Ai's line of sight until he was behind him, just beside the pier.

"OI." 

Ai jumped and turned around with a sour look on his face. "Honestly, Ranmaru."

Ranmaru smiled a little but quickly hid it away as he swam around to the front of Ai. "You sure you're allowed to have your legs in the water like that?"

"Yes, well, it's okay for a little while,” he said simply, softly. "The water feels nice."

Ranmaru hummed. He came over hoping for a conversation, but Ai didn't really seem to be in the mood, so now they were just sitting (or floating) in silence. Getting nervous, he turned to face the same way Ai was, out towards the lake. The moon was large and full, big in the sky like a spotlight on the water. _I wonder what he's thinking about?_

A comforting breeze went by, ruffling their hair. Ranmaru turned around again, opening his mouth to talk but losing whatever lame small talk he had when he saw Ai, too, looking up at the moon. Just like earlier in the car but completely different, his eyes shone like glass, his skin porcelain in the moonlight. Although Ranmaru was looking at him, Ai didn't acknowledge it, absorbed by the moon's light. 

"Ai." Ranmaru said, barely more than a whisper. The water murmured around him as he grabbed the edge of the pier.

Ai finally took his gaze from the moon, and their eyes locked; Ai's eyes were moons themselves, an ethereal glow pouring into Ranmaru, his pupils blown and heart pounding. The tension cracked, and almost magnetically Ai began to lean down towards where Ranmaru was pushing up. _I can't believe this is happening,_ Ranmaru thought, his eyes dragging to Ai's mouth, his lips parted so delicately…

Suddenly laughter erupted from somewhere. Ranmaru froze and his eyes darted behind Ai, where Syo and Otoya were doing some sort of race towards the pier. He hurriedly dipped himself back in the water, all the way up to his nose.

 _Goddammit! How many times is this going to happen?!_ Ranmaru thought, frustrated. He swam away before he could see what Ai looked like, the magic dissipated.

✾5✾

“Ready, boys?”

Quartet Night came out of their respective dressing rooms, all donning pajamas of different textures and soft pastels. They headed to the set, a dreamy peach backdrop setting the scene: large fuzzy rugs coated the floor, furnished by countless cutesy pillows of purples, pinks, and sky blue--in all sorts of heart and star shapes. There were even a couple giant ones, bordering on beanbag. It was a pretty snazzy pajama party.

“Awww it’s so adorable! Look at all these pillows!” Reiji exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He was looking comfortable in a simple graphic tee with spring green flannel bottoms, something he might wear on his own.

“At least I don’t have to wear some uncomfortable get-up.” Ranmaru grunted as he sat down on an overly-fluffy rug. He was wearing a white pullover hoodie with the sleeves cut off, and some sweats. 

“I kind of like the intricate outfits, myself.” Ai was sporting a pullover hoodie as well, but with a fuzzy hood in lavender fur. The android pulled up one of his fuzzy socks before plopping down to Ranmaru’s right.

Ranmaru shrugged half-heartedly and tried to keep his gaze away from him. Neither Ranmaru nor Ai had said anything about that night on the pier where he had leaned in. (Or had Ai leaned in?) Ranmaru didn’t dare, although it popped up in his thoughts much more than he’d like to admit. Even if Ai had seemed like he was going for it too, how could he be sure? And Ranmaru was definitely not one for confessing feelings, especially when the other person was, well, Ai. He was just so damn hard to read sometimes.

“Hmf. I seem to be the only one with taste here.” Camus smirked, showing off his shimmering silk pajama set, in a crystal blue. Ranmaru noticed he was the only one not wearing fuzzy socks, since he hated them.

The director had them take a couple photos just sitting around, and then instructed them to lay on their stomachs. They all grabbed some pillows and lined up and facing the camera. Ranmaru tried to keep it cool, not cute and avoided swinging his feet in the air--that is until the director told him to. 

“All right guys, just get a little closer. We want to get a really cozy vibe here.”

Ranmaru turned his head to his right where Ai would be, only to feel a weight on his back. 

“Hey, what’re you doing?!” He swung to his other side to see a little Ai perched on him, his lower half on the floor and upper half settled on Ranmaru’s large shoulders. His wide aqua eyes blinked at him and a small mischievous smile rested on his lips. He was just…so cute. Not to mention the fur that surrounded his face was like a nest of feathers... Ranmaru squinted at him and made himself turn around before he got diabetes. He figured it’d be good enough for the photo, anyway.

“We’re gettin’ snug, RanRan!” Reiji answered Ranmaru. The smaller brunette wiggled into Camus’ side, Camus looking annoyed beyond photo comprehension. Good.

They took a couple photos like that, and then shifted for the next variation of the pose. The group stilled for the photo, but Ranmaru noticed Ai’s hands slowly going down Ranmaru’s back, reminding him briefly of the chills he got that one night for Ai’s experiment. He held a straight face as the cameras kept flashing, focused on the modeling, when suddenly Ai’s hands squeezed his sides. Ranmaru let out an embarrassing squeak of “YOU--!” that dissolved into laughter as Ai’s sole mission became tickling Ranmaru to bits. The cameras continued clicking (much to Ranmaru’s dismay) and he kicked around trying to get the little maniac off his back. He could hear Reiji giggling near him and worked a little harder, blushing from all the attention. And also the merciless tickling.

After he finally managed to get Ai to slip off, Ranmaru seized the chance to grab Ai’s wrists and pin him down on his back. “Gotcha!”

“All right, nice one boys, we got all we needed! We’ll take you one by one for the solo shots in 10.” The director called, laughing.

Reiji tried to tackle Camus, but Ranmaru was too caught up in Ai to notice. He was hovering over him now, unable to tear himself away from Ai’s face: eyes squinted with joy and face flushed, some giggles still escaping while he wriggled around under Ranmaru’s grasp. The little brat.

“ _Never do that again!_ ” Ranmaru growled, still huffing. Without thinking, he released one wrist to hold the side of Ai’s face, and the hoodie fur tickled his hand. _His skin is so soft…_ He thought, breath suddenly hitching. _What am I doing?_ Ai’s free hand came up to hold onto Ranmaru’s wrist.

“Just doing what it takes for a good photo.” He said matter-of-factly, eyes glinting. Ranmaru swore he could see stars in there. 

For a moment it felt like they were alone, and Ranmaru’s eyes widened as he noticed Ai looking at his lips. Ranmaru squeezed Ai’s cheek lightly, bringing Ai’s gaze back up to meet his. There was something in the depths of his eyes that made Ranmaru’s heart skip a beat; his chest bloomed with warmth for the man beneath him, a comforting sensation that spread throughout his body and down to his fingertips, like a shiver of… _love._ _I love him._

“Come on you two, get off the set.”

Ranmaru blinked and he was off of Ai, Ai picking himself up with equal haste. He shook his head trying to get ahold of himself, dumbfounded and frustrated. He felt like if someone were to look his way, they would see a neon sign with _I LOVE THE ROBOT_ flashing in lights.

Reiji walked up to Ranmaru and Ai where they stood stranded, rubbing his shoulder like there may have been a well-placed punch there.

“Guysss I tried to tickle Camus but I think it’s impossible…” He pouted.

Ranmaru facepalmed and brushed past Reiji, the smaller man turning to watch him go. “Too much tickling?” 

Over his shoulder, Ranmaru heard nothing from Ai. His heart pounded painfully in his chest and he struggled to focus his eyes. Why did he have to get so carried away? He and Ai were supposed to be professional idols, not bumbling idiots on set. What a fool he must have looked like! There was simply no room for any feelings he may or may not have for Ai; the universe was telling him loud and clear.

✾★✾

A couple of weeks had gone by since the pajama shoot, and Ranmaru felt soured. Day in and day out he was forced to be around Ai and the rest of the band, but instead of the old butterflies he may have felt before when he looked at Ai, there was a solid brick settled in the bottom of his stomach that sunk deeper and deeper. As much as he hated to admit it, it was starting to affect his work.

He sat on the edge of his bed, willing himself to use his stupid legs. He had a rehearsal with Ai today for their duet song, Haruhana, wherein they would be performing a dance number for their next show. _Just pretend he’s someone else_ , he thought, the brick sinking further, if possible. With a deep sigh, Ranmaru picked himself up and changed out of his pajamas before heading into the living area of their apartment. 

Early morning light strained through the thin curtains, and Reiji was seated at the small round dining table, magazine open on the table and a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked up at Ranmaru and gave his mug a raise, smiling lazily. Ranmaru returned a tight-lipped smile and went to the kitchen: though he didn’t have an appetite he knew he would need the energy later, and settled for a sad bowl of cheerios. He sat down at the table as well and began to eat.

Reiji took a loud sip from his coffee. Ranmaru begrudgingly looked across the table at him. 

“Can I help you?” He said, voice deep and flat.

“Who, me?” Reiji feigned surprise as he pointed to himself.

Ranmaru rolled his eyes. “Just get on with it.”

Reiji fiddled with the corner of the magazine for a second before speaking. “You just seem grumpier than normal recently. Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, just great.” Ranmaru said sarcastically before he could stop himself. He braced himself for the pity party, but instead nearly dropped his spoon at what Reiji said next.

“Is it about AiAi?”

“Wh-what gave you that idea?! Of course not!” he blustered, avoiding eye contact completely. How did he know?! 

“Well… that reaction, for one. And for two, you keep looking at Ai with this really sad look in your eyes. Kind of like a lost puppy.” Reiji mimicked the expression briefly.

Ranmaru clenched his jaw. Unclenched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He was going to die on this hill, dammit. Reiji was not about to call him out for looking lovesick.

“Come on, RanRan, I saw what happened on the pajama set! You guys are totally _in_ something, and I thought it was just going to resolve itself and one day you would come up to me and say ‘Reiji, I have a boyfriend,’ and I would play totally coy. But now you’re acting all weird, and sad, and AiAi has also been taking less interest in his usual research. What’s going _on_?” 

Welp. There goes the hill. Ranmaru was silent for a couple moments as he mulled things over. He couldn’t deny it any longer, and as he looked up to meet Reiji’s warm brown eyes, so earnest and worried, he couldn’t hold it in any longer, either. He let out a sigh.

“You’re right. It’s just…” Ranmaru struggled to find the words to describe what he had pushed away for so long, “Ai just… makes me feel… things.” He grimaced, “And they’re good things, but I just keep pushing him away, even though it hurts. I just...don’t know what to do but make myself forget about it, I guess...” He trailed off.

Reiji clasped his hands together. “Our RanRan’s got a crush~!” He squealed.

"Shut up!" Ranmaru blushed furiously and shoved more cheerios in his mouth.

“No, no, but really. Do you hate yourself that much, RanRan? Have you ever thought that having feelings is good and not something you should push away?”

“I’ve been in relationships before!” Ranmaru said somewhat indignantly, “I know what things are supposed to feel like--I think. But Ai is in the band! How could it _ever_ work?!”

“Honestly RanRan, you and AiAi being apart is doing more harm to the band than if you were together.” Reiji took a thoughtful sip of coffee. “Promise me you’ll do something about it. You have practice with him today, right?”

Ranmaru gritted his teeth. “Well, yeah, but...no! I can’t just force myself on him, he probably doesn’t even like me!” 

“Ranmaru. He likes you.” Reiji levelled. 

Ranmaru hated this conversation, and he hated Reiji for starting it. Nevertheless, the brick seemed a little lighter as hope sprung up inside him. 

Ranmaru gulped. “He...does?”

“Last week he came home with such a low battery, I had to help him get plugged in.” Reiji said. “AiAi was pretty woozy so big-bro-bukki decided to sit with him for a while to make sure he charged up okay. Anyway, he started mumbling something about you and “inconclusive data”, so I asked, and...I dunno, it seemed pretty conclusive to me.” Reiji waggled his eyebrows at Ranmaru.

Ugh. “I’d better get to practice.” Ranmaru grunted, ears hot. He picked up his bowl to drop off in the sink, and hurriedly grabbed his keys and cellphone.

Reiji followed him to the entryway. “RanRan~ Promise me you’ll do something!” He tugged on his sleeve as Ranmaru opened the door.

“Whatever, fine!” Ranmaru growled.

Ranmaru stomped through the doorway and slammed it, not bothering to lock it after him. His head swam with what Reiji said. If Ai _did_ like Ranmaru, why hadn’t _he_ done anything about it yet? He can’t handle this kind of emotional pressure!

What was he supposed to do?! Walk in to rehearsal and say “I [redacted] you, let’s be together”? If Ai turned him down, practice and possibly the rest of their foreseeable career together would be so awkward. And Camus would never let him live it down once Reiji loud-mouthed it. Maybe... _Maybe_ it wouldn’t be so bad if Ranmaru just waited until the end of practice to confess. At least that way he could just bail afterwards when Ai says no. He’d have to try, for Reiji’s sake.

Mind set, Ranmaru briskly walked to the rehearsal studio, shoulders hunched and breath puffing in front of him. He was so lost in his thoughts he was surprised to find he arrived in what felt like a couple minutes. Ai leaned on a wall near the front doors, and stood when he saw Ranmaru.

As Ranmaru walked closer, his stomach churned with his secret. _Maybe waiting all practice would be a bad idea after all_ , he thought queasily. 

Ai loosened the scarf around his neck. “Shall we head inside?”

 _I could just say it right now._ Ranmaru’s eyes flickered over Ai’s face, searching for an answer somehow. 

“Ranmaru?”

Ranmaru coughed into his hand, “Er, yeah, it’s cold out here, huh.” He said lamely. He just couldn’t do it. Ai made his way into the building, Ranmaru following.

The pair silently walked to their reserved practice space, a wide room with worn wood floors and a large mirror covering one wall. Ranmaru shrugged off his jacket and carefully folded it, shifting uncomfortably while Ai did the same. _Calm down already!_

“Let’s do our warmups.” Ai moved to the center of the room and side-eyed Ranmaru.

Ranmaru sat in front of the android, mirroring his pose by splaying his legs out so they were in a wide v, feet nearly touching Ai’s. Ai held out his hands and Ranmaru grabbed them, heat rising in his face. When they did this stretch in previous sessions, Ranmaru had buried his feelings deep inside so he wouldn’t have this sort of reaction, trying to remain numb. But now that he had Reiji’s conversation weighing on his mind he felt overwhelmed with the sensation of Ai’s soft hands in his own. Carefully he leaned back, allowing the smaller man to stretch forward, a couple moments passing before Ai leaned back to do the same. 

The silence felt heavy. A bead of sweat rolled down Ranmaru’s forehead in spite of the cold he just came from, and he risked a glance up to Ai, but he was already staring at him with a curious expression. Ranmaru snapped his gaze away like a rubberband.

Ai released his hands to get up, reaching to the sky for a second before holding out a hand for Ranmaru. Ranmaru took it hesitantly, but was caught off guard when Ai suddenly pulled him up with such a strength that Ranmaru had to grasp his shoulders for balance.

“I forget that you’re so strong…” Ranmaru laughed nervously and pointedly removed his hands. _Did he do that on purpose?_

Ai simply tilted his head to the side and studied him, his expression somewhere between calculating and amused. 

Not thinking he could take much more of this, Ranmaru spoke up. “How about we skip the rest and get to the routine?”

“All right.” 

Ai took a small speaker from his bag and deftly linked his phone with it. “Ready?”

Ranmaru nodded, and Ai started the track before hustling to his starting spot, the first guitar strummings of _Haruhana_ beginning. The two started on opposite sides of the room, backs towards each other. With each strum, their feet grazed the floor in sweeping motions until they turned suddenly to face each other, now only a foot apart as the beat came in. 

_Keep it together._ Ranmaru sucked in a breath before they held hands in a samba-like posture, beginning the dance. 

They had already been practicing for a couple months, so at this point the rehearsals were just to keep themselves in top shape until the performance. Ranmaru was thankful for this as he stepped easily through the moves by memory, having a hard time focusing on anything other than Ai. He was playing the follower role perfectly, dancing around Ranmaru with the precise sway of his hips that Ranmaru tried very hard to ignore. He guided the smaller man’s delicate hand into a swift under-arm turn before swinging apart, and then back together in time with their song. Each touch felt like fire, each vibration of the music traveling throughout his body in a cacophony of endorphins. Ranmaru brought Ai in front of him for the bridge, front fully pressed against his back, and Ranmaru's heartbeat quickened further with desire when their bodies slotted together perfectly. They separated, once more holding hands and stepping to the syncopated rhythm. Despite all the distractions, Ranmaru felt his steps sharp as ever as they worked through the final chorus.

Ranmaru held Ai with one hand on his waist, the other on the back of his head, and as the last chord struck, he dipped him low, their chests pressed together. Their eyes locked, and before he knew what he was doing, Ranmaru swiftly closed the space between them in a passionate kiss. 

Blazing heat flooded his body followed by a cool rush of adrenaline, his limbs tingling as the world seemed to spin around him. Ranmaru marvelled at the velvety softness of Ai’s lips--how everything just felt so _right_ \--and just when he thought he should pull away, Ai held on tighter and kissed back just as eagerly. Ranmaru's heart skipped a beat (if it hadn’t stopped already), before they broke apart, chests heaving.

Ranmaru stared in awe at the beautiful image below him: an angel of aquamarine with a face turned deep pink, panting and clutching onto him like he would crumble if he let go. He dove down to Ai’s neck, kissing as much skin as he could reach, Ai shuddering with laughter. He squirmed until Ranmaru ceased the neck kisses and brought them both back up to stand, still holding him close. 

Suddenly Ai brought his hand up to Ranmaru’s eye with a slight smile, wiping under it with his thumb. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!” Ranmaru protested, feeling under his own eye for the unexpected wetness.

“Then what is this?” Ai held up his thumb with the tear on it smugly.

“I’m just… relieved is all.” Ranmaru huffed and pulled Ai in for a hug in favor of hiding his face over the android’s shoulder.

Ai chuckled and it was maybe the best thing Ranmaru had ever heard, soft and light, like a feather.

“According to previous data it’s unlikely you will answer this, but… what are your feelings?” Ai said from behind Ranmaru’s head.

Ranmaru stayed silent. Curse his data being right.

“I like you.”

Ranmaru jerked back to look at Ai in the face and blinked. Ai’s eyes were shy but earnest, cheeks dusted a light pink. “You do?!” 

“Yes, for a couple months according to my calculations. And I had a little bit of an… experiment going.” Ai seemed embarrassed suddenly.

Ranmaru narrowed his eyes. “About what?”

“Whenever we got within close proximity of each other, I would get these strange symptoms.” Ai twiddled his hair around a finger. “I didn’t have much data on them, so I tried to replicate them in any way I can--without it being too obvious, of course. That would ruin the experiment. But then you began to avoid me, so I thought that the reactions I detected from you in those moments were negative, and I decided to do away with the experiment.” He looked down, leaving his hair.

 _This whole time… well, nearly._ Ranmaru thought, dumbfounded. 

“We really are both idiots.” Ranmaru said with a grin.

“Hey! Don’t lump me in with you, I--”

“I like you too.” Ranmaru confessed.

“Well, I already knew that from the kiss.” Ai turned his head to the side snootily, blushing. “Your heart rate was absurdly high. I honestly feared for your safety.”

Ranmaru scoffed. “That was from all the dancing!”

Ai snagged the front of Ranmaru’s shirt and yanked him in for a messy kiss, Ranmaru letting out a noise of surprise. Ai pushed him away, and placed a hand on his neck. 

“107. Your resting bpm is 55, by the way.” Ai slipped. “I keep track for...health reasons.”

Ranmaru managed to close his jaw after a moment, attempting to somehow unblush his face. This brat was a force to be reckoned with.

Silence passed between them.

“‘M… sorry for not saying anything earlier. I probably mislead you.” Ranmaru mumbled, looking away. “Those reactions were…the good kind. I just didn’t…” 

“I didn’t understand it either. Attraction is a mysterious thing, something I’m still attempting to explain.” Ai looked up to gaze into Ranmaru’s eyes. “The only thing I knew was that my heart longed for you.”

Ranmaru’s heart swelled in his chest. He pulled the android in for another hug, cherishing the way his hair tickled his face, the way he buried his face in his neck, the way his breath went in and out. 

“Mine, too.” Ranmaru said, muffled.

“The data I gathered from the kiss is fascinating. In order to understand it fully, I can tell I’ll have to replay it many times.”

“Let’s run the dance again, then.” 

\--

“You guys ready to start the movie? Come on!” Reiji called. 

“I said, I’m coming!” 

Ranmaru set down the bass he was fiddling with in his room and finally went out to the living room, where Reiji and Camus were waiting. Camus was already seated at the far end of the couch, ice cream in hand. Ranmaru chose the opposite end. Even if he was sated with sugar now, you never know what could happen if he ran out in the middle of the movie. Or if he started annoying Ranmaru. 

“Can I get anything for you from the kitchen, RanRan?” Reiji said, smiling.

“Nah, I’m still full from dinner.” Ranmaru patted his stomach appreciatively.

“Okay~”

Reiji quickly put the movie in, a Christmas classic they watched every year. He wiggled with excitement before settling into his own couch.

Just as the movie began, Ai quietly stepped in from the hallway. He sat next to Ranmaru, pulling his legs up to his chest and easily leaning into Ranmaru, letting out a deep sigh. Ranmaru’s heart bloomed, and he pressed a silent kiss to Ai’s head before returning attention forward. Which is when he noticed Reiji watching him. Ranmaru narrowed his eyes and tried to assert dominance before Reiji announced anything embarrassing, and thankfully, he turned back towards the screen with a sly smile.

Snow blew through the movie’s opening credits, and Ranmaru felt warm inside and out. Ai was snuggled into him, something Ranmaru took to be miraculous after all these months of confusion. He couldn’t help but be grateful for that one summer day where he had drenched the android with a water gun. As he put one arm around his shoulders, he wondered if Ai was grateful, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I love u! ;w;  
> My utapri twitter handle is [@tererundakedo](https://twitter.com/tererundakedo) Feel free to follow me there :)


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